Date: Friday, February 24th
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. (et)
Site: Daytona International Speedway -- Daytona Beach, Florida
Track: 2.5-mile tri-oval - 3,800 feet (Frontstretch); 3,000 feet (Backstretch)
Laps: 100
Miles: 250
Capacity: 147,000 (Grandstand Seating)
Total purse: $689,635 (2011 figures)
Payouts: 1st Place - $73,275; 2nd Place - $45,700; 3rd Place - $36,500
Year: 13th
On TV: Speed Channel
Announcers: Rick Allen, Phil Parsons, Michael Waltrip
On Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUSXM Satellite
Race record: Mark Martin, 2006, (146.622 m.p.h.)
Qualifying record: Joe Ruttman, 2000, (187.563 m.p.h.)
2011 Finish
Defending champion: Michael Waltrip (not defending)
Runner up: Elliott Sadler
Pole winner: Austin Dillon (179.047 m.p.h.)
Top 10:
1. Michael Waltrip (Start: 11)
2. Elliott Sadler (6)
3. Clay Rogers (19)
4. Miguel Paludo (14)
5. Kyle Busch (21)
6. Jennifer Jo Cobb (31)
7. Jeffrey Earnhardt (23)
8. Ricky Carmichael (4)
9. James Buescher (2)
10. Matt Crafton (7)
Average speed: 130.025 m.p.h.
Time of race: 1 hour, 58 minutes, 33 seconds
Margin of victory: 0.061 second
Caution flags: 6 for 24 laps
Lead changes: 6 among 6 drivers
Past winners
2011 Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 130.025 m.p.h.
2010 Timothy Peters, Toyota, 115.296 m.p.h.
2009 Todd Bodine, Toyota, 122.766 m.p.h.
2008 Todd Bodine, Toyota, 127.551 m.p.h.
2007 Jack Sprague, Toyota, 117.739 m.p.h.
2006 Mark Martin, Ford, 146.622 m.p.h. (race record)
2005 Bobby Hamilton, Dodge, 124.931 m.p.h.
2004 Carl Edwards, Ford, 112.570 m.p.h.
2003 Rick Crawford, Ford, 127.642 m.p.h.
2002 Robert Pressley, Dodge, 140.121 m.p.h.
2001 Joe Ruttman, Dodge, 129.407 m.p.h.
2000 Mike Wallace, Ford, 130.152 m.p.h.
Last race
Race: Ford 200 (November 18, 2011)
Site: Homestead-Miami Speedway -- Homestead, Florida
Miles: 178.5
Laps: 119
Finish line order: Johnny Sauter, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Nelson Piquet Jr., Joey Coulter
Time of Race: 1 hour, 25 minutes, 25 seconds
Average speed: 125.385 m.p.h.
Margin of victory: Under Caution
Caution flags: 5 for 16 laps
Lead changes: 14 among 9 drivers
Lap leaders: J. Buescher 1-8; K. Harvick 9-24; D. Hamlin 25; J. BuescherJ. Buescher 1-8; K. Harvick 9-24; D. Hamlin 25; J. Buescher26-34; J. Sauter 35-36; E. Sadler 37; J. Sauter 38; E. Sadler39-69; J. Sauter 70; J. Buescher 71-72; R. Hornaday Jr. 73; M.Crafton 74-75; B. Gaughan 76-78; D. Armstrong 79; J. Sauter80-119.
Entry list
#0 Jake Crum (Statesville, NC) Dodge/Bandit Chippers
#2 Brendan Gaughan (Las Vegas, NV) Chevrolet/South Point
#3 Ty Dillon (Lexington, NC) Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops
#5 Paulie Harraka (Fair Lawn, NJ) Ford/TBA
#6 Justin Lofton (Westmorland, CA) Chevrolet/collegecomplete.com
#07 Johnny Chapman (Stony Point, NC) Chevrolet/TBA
#7 John King (Kingsport, TN) Toyota/TBA
#08 Ross Chastain (Alva, FL) Toyota/Nat'l Watermelon Assoc.
#8 Mike Skinner (Susanville, CA) Chevrolet/TBA
#09 Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) Toyota/TBA
#9 Ron Hornaday Jr. (Palmdale, CA) Chevrolet/Anderson's Maple Syrup
#10 Jennifer Jo Cobb (Kansas City, KS) Ford/driven2honor.com
#11 Todd Bodine (Chemung, NY) Toyota/Good Sam
#13 Johnny Sauter (Necedah, WI) Toyota/Hot Honeys
#15 Dusty Davis (Las Vegas, NV) Toyota/Thunderexhaust.com
#17 Timothy Peters (Providence, NC) Toyota/Tire Kingdom/Service Central
#18 Jason Leffler (Long Beach, CA) Toyota/Dollar General
#19 Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hls, MI) Dodge/TBA
#22 Joey Coulter (Miami Springs, FL) Chevrolet/Mama Lucia Meatballs
#23 Jason White (Powhatan, VA) Ford/gunbroker.com
#24 Max Gresham (Stockbridge, GA) Chevrolet/Made In USA
#27 Ward Burton (South Boston, VA) Chevrolet/State Water Heaters
#28 Wes Burton (Chiefland, FL) Chevrolet/FDNY Racing
#29 Parker Kligerman (Westport, CT) Dodge/Cooper Standard
#30 Nelson Piquet Jr (Brasilia, Brazil) Chevrolet/Autotrac/Qualcomm
#31 James Buescher (Plano, TX) Chevrolet/AccuDoc Solutions
#32 Miguel Paludo (New Silver, Brazil) Chevrolet/Duroline Brakes
#33 Cale Gale (Mobile, AL) Chevrolet/Rheem
#39 Ryan Sieg (Tucker, GA) Chevrolet/Pull-A-Part LLC
#57 Norm Benning (Level Green, PA) Chevrolet/TBA
#60 JR Fitzpatrick (Cambridge, Canada) Chevrolet/Equipment Express
#63 Caleb Roark (Abingdon, VA) Ford/Mittler Bros Machine & Tool
#68 Clay Greenfield (Clarksville, TN) Dodge/Dawn Stanfill Foundation
#73 Rick Crawford (Mobile, AL) Chevrolet/Superseal/Trans Peco Truck
#74 Wheeler Boys (Calgary, Canada) Chevrolet/IIP Group
#76 Derek White (Kahnawake, Canada) Ford/W.G.A.
#81 David Starr (Houston, TX) Toyota/Zachry
#82 Grant Enfinger (Fairhope, AL) Ford/TBA
#84 Chris Fontaine (Lakeland, FL) Toyota/Glenden Enterprises
#88 Matt Crafton (Tulare, CA) Chevrolet/Menards
#92 David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) Chevrolet/Fleet HQ.com/BTS Tire
#93 Chris Cockrum (Conyers, GA) Chevrolet/Advanced Comm. Group
#98 Dakoda Armstrong (New Castle, IN) Toyota/Ever Fi
#99 Bryan Silas (Stuart, FL) Ford/Rockingham Speedway
Leading contenders
| Name | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Buescher | 25th | 9th | |||||||
| Matt Crafton | 12th | 19th | 11th | 26th | 8th | 24th | 8th | 5th | 10th |
| Timothy Peters | 12th | 6th | Won | 11th | |||||
| David Starr | 36th | 12th | 8th | 14th | 20th | 4th | 17th | 19th | 13th |
| Parker Kligerman | 15th | ||||||||
| Johnny Sauter | 27th | 35th | 17th | ||||||
| Todd Bodine | 3rd | 2nd | 5th | Won | Won | 2nd | 23rd | ||
| Brendan Gaughan | 10th | 30th | 24th | 21st | 34th | 26th | |||
| Nelson Piquet Jr | 6th | 27th | |||||||
| Ron Hornaday Jr | 26th | 23rd | 7th | 25th | 4th | 27th | 28th | ||
| Travis Kvapil | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 29th | |||||
| Jason White | 35th | 22nd | 22nd | 4th | 30th | ||||
| Mike Skinner | 28th | 25th | 4th | 4th | 29th | 7th | 24th | ||
| Brad Keselowski | 7th | 34th | |||||||
| David Reutimann | 9th | 12th | 9th | ||||||
| Ty Dillon |
Notes
Last season, it was ten years to the date of his bittersweet victory in the Daytona 500, as Michael Waltrip won the season-opening Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
That Friday marked the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's death in the Daytona 500. Waltrip drove for Earnhardt's NASCAR Cup Series team when he won the Daytona 500, but Waltrip's first career victory in the series was marred by Earnhardt's fatal crash during the final lap of that race.
Waltrip's victory came in typical thrilling fashion at Daytona. He made a sling-shot pass on Elliott Sadler for the lead about a hundred yards from the finish line. It was his first truck win. He became the 22nd driver to win a race in all three of NASCAR's national touring series.
Although Waltrip will not be defending his title, he will be at Daytona, as he is part of the broadcast team for Speed Channel.
In 2010, Timothy Peters, started from the 24th position on the grid and led only five laps, but it was his crucial pass on the final lap over Todd Bodine that lifted him to victory. Bodine held the lead on the final lap, but Peters got a push from pole sitter Jason White and then tapped Bodine from behind, shoving him up the track. Peters protected his lead and finished 0.068 seconds ahead of Bodine for his second career truck victory. Bodine led four times for a race-high 32 laps, while pole sitter Jason White placed fourth.
Todd Bodine led the final 11 laps in 2009 to edge Kyle Busch by 0.249 of a second for his 16th career Truck Series title. Bodine, who started third, led twice for a race-high 25 laps, while pole sitter Colin Braun, who placed ninth, led three times for 15 laps. With his win, Bodine became the only two-time winner of this race after winning in 2008.
Pole sitter Jack Sprague clipped Johnny Benson in 2007 by less than a second for his 28th career Truck Series title. Sprague led for the first eight laps and then again on lap 87, but it was Travis Kvapil who dominated this race, leading six times for a race-high 49 laps. Kvapil took the lead on lap 88 through 99, but Sprague, on the final lap, went to the outside and Johnny Benson to the bottom of the track to produce a photo finish with Sprague edging Benson by one foot and Kvapil by about four feet.
Starting on the pole in 2006, Mark Martin raced to victory, as he crossed the finish line under caution ahead of Todd Bodine for his second career Truck Series victory. With his win, Martin became only the second driver to capture this event from the pole, as he joined Joe Ruttman in that category. Martin, who was the first to capture the pole at this track and win, set a new winning speed mark of 146.622 m.p.h.
The pole sitter has won this race on three occasions. Joe Ruttman in 2001, Martin in 2006 and Sprague (2007). Ruttman is the only two-time pole sitter. When the late Bobby Hamilton raced to victory in 2005, he came from the 36th starting position, the furthest start for a winner.
It should come as no surprise this week that the race will be decided on the final lap. The previous 12 races have been decided by split seconds. This race has produced two three-wide finishes in its short history.
Winning this race could spell doom for a driver attempting to capture the Camping World Truck Series championship, as no winner has ever gone on to capture the title. Bobby Hamilton, who claimed the top prize in 2004, remains the only driver to win the series championship and then follow up with a victory at Daytona in February.
The NextEra Energy Resources 250 is the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race to utilize a 17.75-gallon fuel cell that's now standard in all three of NASCAR's national series. It is anticipated the change will result in shorter fuel windows and more pit stops.
The Camping World Truck Series is off for the next four weeks before returning to action with the March 31 Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Johnny Sauter is the defending race winner.
